Appointments Information

Active members of the State Bar, former members of the judiciary and members of the public who are interested in volunteering to serve on the Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation (JNE) may apply for an appointment. The application deadline is May 4, 2018.

Members of the JNE Commission

are volunteer attorneys and public members (non-lawyers).

investigate the governor's candidates for judicial appointment while maintaining a code of strict confidentiality. (The JNE Commission cannot nominate or appoint judges.)

serve terms of approximately one year (beginning February 1) and may serve up to three consecutive terms.

Qualifications

Applications are sought from attorneys and members of the public who have the skills and experience to assess candidates for judicial appointment and to provide timely and well-written reports.

Attorney commissioners must be active members in good standing with the State Bar of California, with a preference for those in practice 10 years or more.

Consideration will be given to attorney applicants who have substantial litigation, trial and/or appellate experience.

Commission membership may include one or more former members of the judiciary; those with appellate backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Workload and time commitment

Required to attend a two-day orientation meeting (date to be scheduled on Thursday-Saturday between mid-January and March 1, 2018) in San Francisco and be able to commit at least 35-40 hours each month or approximately 55 working days per year.

Time commitment includes 20-24 meeting days and 20-35 days to complete assignments.

Meetings are two to three days every second month (generally Friday, Saturday and occasionally Sunday) and alternate between San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Evaluations of candidates typically are assigned by area and caseload.

Commission members usually work in teams of two to four. Typically, each team will have three to four assignments.Each assignment typically requires an average of 10 hours preparation plus travel time to conduct one to two-hour candidate interviews.

Commissioners are expected to prepare and mail hundreds of evaluation forms for each candidate.

Commissioners frequently must travel outside their county and geographic area to conduct interviews.

When possible, interviews are conducted at one of the State Bar's offices. Commissioners are reimbursed for approved travel in accordance with State Bar policy and the commission's authorized budget.

Conditions of appointment and service

Each commission member takes an oath of office and is sworn in at the annual orientation meeting.

As a condition of appointment, each commission member agrees that during his or her service, he or she will abstain from endorsing or participating in any judicial candidate's campaign for office, and will refrain from appearing before or voting on any other committee or commission involved in the judicial selection process.

Each commissioner is also subject to a criminal history clearance by the California Department of Justice and the FBI.

Commissioners may not apply for or accept a State of California judicial appointment nor permit his or her name to be submitted for evaluation as a candidate for such an appointment while a member of the commission or until such time thereafter that a majority of the commission consists of members with whom the commission member did not serve (i.e., two to three years after completing service on the commission).

Commissioners are appointed by and serve at the will of the Board of Governors and may be removed with or without good cause.

A commission member may be removed for breach of confidentiality, failure to perform assigned duties, and failure to attend meetings.

Criteria for appointment

In making appointments to the JNE Commission, the board considers: the duties and functions of the commission; the applicant's qualifications and ability to make the time commitment; the criteria mandated by Government Code Section 12011.5(b); and the board policies on diversity and criteria for membership on State Bar committees.

The board policies on diversity and criteria for committee membership consist of a multitude of factors, including but not limited to:

length of time in the practice of law or, if the appointment is of a public member (i.e., not a lawyer), the length of time in a given profession or vocation;

accomplishments of note;

proven commitment to volunteer work or strong indication of capacity and desire for making the expected time commitment;

Application statements should describe any experience with interviewing professional applicants.

If a lawyer, the application statement should include a brief description of any courtroom or appellate experience in the past five years.

Non-lawyer applicants should explain how their professional experience qualifies them to be a JNE commissioner. Applicants should also list any professional experience with the judicial system. and any experience (other than personal) with the judicial system.

Applicants may submit a maximum of three letters of recommendation. A recommendation from an employer is helpful. All letters of recommendation must be submitted to the Appointments Office.